


Damen's way of winning over a Veretian's heart and avoiding his brother's wedding

by mfingenius



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Don't copy to another site, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2020-08-20 05:24:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20222530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mfingenius/pseuds/mfingenius
Summary: Damen agreed to give Laurent - a stranger he only barely knows - a ride to Delpha. He's on his way to his brother's wedding, and all he knows of Laurent is that he's trying to get to his brother Auguste.Things happen along the way.





	1. Chapter 1

“Damianos, this is the worst idea you’ve ever had.” Nikandros deadpans.

“You said that about  Jokaste ,” Damen observes mildly.

“Remind me how that turned out?” Nik asks, unimpressed, with a raised eyebrow. 

Jokaste cheated on Damen with his brother. 

Maybe he shouldn’t have used that example.

“Look, this is not a bad idea.” Damen says, lifting his suitcase to put in the trunk of his car. “I’m... helping someone.”

“You don’t know him from  _ anything _ . All you know is that he  _ said  _ he needs to get to his brother’s house. You don’t even know if that’s true” Nik says. “He could be a murderer.”

Damen looks at him, disbelievingly. “Have you  _ seen  _ him? He’s  _ tiny _ . ”

“I’m not tiny.” The petulant, condescending voice says, and Damen looks back at his road trip companion. Laurent – or so he said his name was – is small, pretty, blonde, and exactly Damen’s type. He’s also anxious, and jumpy, and something about the way he’d asked made Damen say yes when he’d asked him to get him to Delpha. “You’re just a giant animal.”

Nikandros thinks Damen is thinking with his cock and is hoping to fuck Laurent somewhere on their way to Delpha, but, for once, Damen has no interest in fucking a blonde; not because Laurent isn’t attractive – because he  _ is,  _ so fucking attractive that Damen wants to cry – but because he doesn’t think that Laurent – small, narrow, helpless Laurent – would ask  _ him _ for help – a man easily three times as wide as him and several heads taller – if he had another choice available.

He’ll get him to Delpha, whatever it is that happens.

“Right,” Damen says.  Nikandros shoots him a look like he wants to murder Laurent. He might. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes.” Laurent says, shifting quietly.

That’s something else that makes Damen think that Laurent needs help; he has no luggage with him. He has no clothes, no money, no personal belongings. He’s dressed well – in fine, elegant clothes, covering most of his skin – which means that he’s most likely not poor, but Damen can’t figure out why he wouldn’t have anything with him if he weren’t.

“Alright,” Damen shuts the trunk. “Let’s go.”

“Text me when you get to Delpha,”  Nikandros says, eyeing Laurent warily. “To let me know you’re not dead.”

Laurent flips him off, and  Nikandros makes a crude gesture in response. Him and Damen both watch as Laurent’s shiny blonde hair disappears into the car. 

Laurent isn’t exactly a friendly person, but Damen has never met anyone he can’t make friends with; he’s sociable in that way, generally optimistic and friendly in a way that always makes people like him. He’s sure it’ll be the same with Laurent.

“I’ll see you,” Damen says, hugging his best friend briefly. Nik claps his back and hugs back for a moment, before they part and Damen gets into the car.

The first twenty minutes of driving are spent in painful silence.

“Music?” he asks, finally, reaching to turn on the radio.

“No.” Laurent says.

Damen drops his hand, eyeing Laurent warily.

_ Right _ , he thinks.  _ This might be more difficult than expected. _

“Why are you headed to Delpha?” Damen asks, during one of their  food  stops. He bought Laurent a chocolate bar because he doesn’t think the blond has money, and he’s thin enough that Damen’s mother would be shoving food into his face the second he stepped through the door.

“My brother is there,” Laurent says stiffly. He’s looking down at the chocolate bar warily, like it might bite him, and Damen doesn’t push him to eat it; they don’t know each other, and Laurent doesn’t trust him. “I told you.”

Damen nods. He's eating a cheeseburger – he offered to buy one for Laurent, but Laurent refused, and Damen didn’t want to appear too pushy – and fries, and he eats in silence for a while before he hears a wrapper being opened.

He smiles discreetly, watching out of the corner of his eye as Laurent takes a tiny bite of the chocolate. Damen doesn’t know how long it’s been since he’s eaten, but his entire face relaxes at the taste of food.

“And you?” Laurent asks. The question sounds awkward and forced, but at least he’s trying, so Damen pretends not to hear it. 

“My brother is getting married.” Damen tells him.

“Are you best man?” Laurent asks, after a bit.

“No,” Damen says. “We don’t have the best relationship anymore.”

Laurent doesn’t ask why, and they spend the rest of the meal in silence.

*

After they’re back in the car, Laurent allows him to turn on the radio. Damen nearly sings in relief when a song begins playing. The silence was suffocating, and all attempts of conversation seemed to be useless.

In the morning, Damen wakes up with Laurent watching him; they’re staying in a hotel room Damen payed for. Damen had taken the couch, and though Laurent is usually awake before Damen is, Damen’s never found him just sitting there, staring at him.

“You haven’t asked me to have sex with you.” Laurent says bluntly.

Damen’s brain takes a minute to react.

“I don’t expect sex from you.” Damen says honestly, frowning.

Laurent watches him for two full minutes before he speaks. 

“You’re telling the truth.” He seems bewildered.

“Laurent, I don’t know how old you are, but I don’t even think you’re eighteen.” Damen says. “And when I agreed to take you to Delpha, I agreed to get you there without anything happening to you.”

“I’m seventeen.” Laurent says. He seems surprised at himself that he’s said it. He continues carefully, as if tasting the words in his mouth before saying them. “You’re not much older than me though. And I told you I couldn’t pay you. Why else would you let me come along?”

He’s right, Damen’s not much older. He's only eighteen, and though it wouldn’t be immoral because of his age, it would be immoral because of multiple other reasons, included but not limited to the fact that Laurent doesn’t  _ want _ to have sex with him; he only thinks he needs to do it so Damen won’t leave him stranded somewhere, and that’s not consent.

“I’m on my way to  Ios .” Damen shrugs. He’d only been in Arles because  Jokaste’s veil hadn’t been sent out, and Damen had been appointed to pick it up from the store in Arles. Nik, although not invited to the wedding, had accompanied him, since he’d been bored to death with their summer Vacation. “I have to pass by Delpha. It’s no trouble leaving you there.”

“You bought me food.” Laurent accuses. “You let me sleep in the bed.”

“You don’t have any money.” Damen says. “Arles to Delpha is a  three day trip. You can’t go three days without eating.” 

“I can.” Laurent says. He sounds certain of it, and Damen doesn’t want to know if that’s because he has.

“Well, you’re not going to.” He says resolutely. He stands and stretches. “Do you want the shower first, or can I?”

Laurent gestures for him to go ahead, and Damen walks to the bathroom.

*

“I  _ am  _ trying to get to my brother.” Laurent says. Damen is surprised by his voice, and by the fact that he just initiated conversation. He merely nods, in fear of saying something that will scare Laurent into permanent silence again. Laurent’s wringing his hands in his lap, and Damen looks at them for a moment before looking back at the road. They’re still on the second day of their trip, and it’s still early morning. He's getting hungry by now, mostly because he’s always hungry; he can stand it for a few more hours, though. “I’m - he’s studying medicine. In Delpha.”

“That’s impressive.” Damen says. Delpha’s Med School is one of the toughest programs to get into, he knows, and not just anyone accomplishes it. 

Laurent nods slightly. “I - was living with my uncle. He’s - not nice. I couldn’t stay with him any longer.”

Damen’s sight zeroes in on the bruises at Laurent’s wrists, on his neck. His clothes are arranged differently than the day before, which makes the marks visible, and Damen doesn’t think it’s an accident. Laurent didn’t think he’d believe him, so he provided proof.

“And your brother left you there?” Damen asks, furious. He doesn’t get along with Kastor, but he likes to think that, were he in trouble, Kastor would behave like a proper older brother.

Laurent seems surprised at the emotion in his voice. “No. He doesn’t know. He – our parents died the summer before he began. He was eighteen, and I was six. He wasn’t going to go to college to take care of me but – Uncle and I convinced him to go, told him he’d take care of me and that Auguste could visit whenever he wanted. He’s still doing residency there, and we speak on the phone often, but I – never told him. Anything.”

Damen is quiet for a while, and Laurent seems to give himself a final push to finish his probably carefully-prepared monologue.

“I’m only telling you this because you’ve been very helpful.” He says. “And I don’t want you to think I'm not grateful.”

“I’m glad you’re getting away,” Damen says, honestly. “And if your uncle  _ ever _ gives you trouble again, you can call me.”

Laurent gives him a rare, tense smile. “I don’t think you could do much. He's a very powerful man, with a lot of money.”

Damen smiles guiltily. “I rather doubt he’s more powerful than me.”

“What are you, then?” Laurent looks at him curiously. “A  _ king _ ?”

Damen snorts. “Just filthy rich. With a lot of political connections.”

“I think it’d be  interesting to see how he’d react to you.” He says, seemingly deep in thought. “He doesn’t like people who aren’t easily intimidated or bought.”

“Well, I'm neither.” Damen says. “ So you can count on me for help, anytime.”

Laurent hums.

*

“She was my fiancée.” Damen blurts, a long time later. He wants to show Laurent that he appreciated his honesty with honesty of his own.

“What?” Laurent asks.

“The woman my brother is marrying.” Damen says, realizing he wasn’t very clear. “She was my fiancée, and she cheated on me with him.”

Laurent looks at him with disgust clear on his face. “Why are you going to their wedding? That's a crappy fiancée, and a  _ very _ crappy brother.”

“Yeah.” Damen says after a pause. “I don’t know. I guess I just – everyone expects me to be there. They think it doesn’t bother me anymore, and – well, it doesn’t. It’s still... weird, though. I don’t know.”

“I don’t think it could ever  _ not _ be weird.” Laurent says. There's a moment of silence, and then, “Have either of them apologized?”

“No,” Damen says. “I didn’t talk to them for a while, and after that everyone sort of pretended nothing had happened.”

“Fuck, that’s shit.” Laurent says. The curse words sound odd in his mouth, out of place. Still, Damen has to agree with the sentiment. “I vote you ditch the wedding.”

“I’m supposed to get her veil there.” Damen tells him, and Laurent blinks at him disbelievingly.

“They  _ asked  _ you to get her  _ veil _ ?” He demands, and the irritation in his voice is both funny and somewhat touching.

“Yeah.” Damen says. 

“Dump them both.” Laurent says.

Damen laughs.

*

It’s a lot easier to get closer to Laurent after that particular conversation. They spend a lot of time talking, and Damen finds himself thoroughly invested in everything Laurent says. He's enthralling.

Which is why, when they finally get to Delpha – and, more specifically, to Laurent’s brother’s apartment – he doesn’t know what to say.

“Here’s my phone number.” he says, extending a slip of paper with his number on it. “In case your uncle gives you trouble again. Or you can’t find your brother. Or anything really. Or – even if nothing happens, you could-”

Laurent kisses his cheek, effectively silencing him.

“Thank you, Damianos.” he says, fondly. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think your brother deserves you.”

“I don’t think  _ anyone _ deserves you,” Damen says vehemently, a little too honest.

Laurent laughs and Damen falls a little bit in love with the way it makes his eyes sparkle. 

“Auguste does.” Laurent assures him. He bites on his lower lip, and then says, “You could... stay, if you wanted.”

“What?” Damen asks.

“You don’t have to go to the wedding,” Laurent says. “And I – would like it - I would – you have done – a lot for me, and I could – you could stay here, for a while.”

Damen thinks that that’s the best idea he’s ever heard.

“I - Alright,” he says, nodding dumbly.

He texts  Nikandros that he’s not going to the wedding, and spends the rest of the afternoon watching movies with Laurent and his brother – who seems confused as to why his little brother is there and  _ why _ he is with an  Akielon , though he doesn’t mention it – and ignoring  Jokaste’s and Kastor’s calls. It's the best time he’s had in a long time.


	2. Chapter 2

“You’re going to tell me what happened at some point?” Auguste asks, while they’re in bed. Damen is sleeping in the couch outside, so Laurent is sharing Auguste’s bed. It’s dark, and Laurent had expected this question sooner or later; he’s sort of glad it’s now, because at least he doesn’t have to look at Auguste while he says it. “You know I love to have you here, Laurent. I’ve wanted you to come live with me for years.”

“I know,” Laurent says quietly. The moment Auguste had graduated - when Laurent was fourteen - he’d invited Laurent to come live with him in Delfeur, and he’d been heartbroken when Laurent had said no. Laurent had wanted to be with Auguste, more than anything, but his uncle had told him that if he even thought of leaving he’d kill him, and then he’d kill Auguste. Laurent couldn’t let anything happen to Auguste, not after Auguste had practically raised him, after he’d sacrificed so much for Laurent. “I wanted to.”

Auguste is quiet for a moment, and then, softly, “What happened?” 

And Laurent can’t see him, but he can practically hear the wry smile in his voice when he says, “And who’s the Akielon in my living room?”

Laurent takes a deep breath. 

“Uncle is not - kind.” He says, because he wants to find a way to say this without breaking his brother’s heart all over again. 

“What do you mean?” Auguste asks, and he’s already tense beside Laurent. He knows his brother is looking at him, but Laurent keeps his eyes still on the ceiling. 

“He-” And Laurent’s throat closes up, and he can’t talk because _fuck_. “I-”

He can’t continue. He _can’t_. 

“Laurent,” And Auguste’s hand finds his under the sheets. “You can tell me.”

And it’s mighty naïve of him, Laurent thinks, because he has no idea of what Laurent is about to tell him, he doesn’t know that Laurent is about to take the world out from under his feet, change _everything_, and he knows he will, because Auguste has always been the type to see the best in people, to believe everyone is, to their core, good. This will change that, Laurent is _sure_.

But Auguste is his brother, and he’s the person who loves Laurent more than anything, unconditionally, so Laurent tells him everything.

*

“Thank you for getting my brother here,” Damen nearly jumps when he hears the voice; he’d gotten up for a glass of water - it’s nearly four in the morning - and he hadn’t expected anyone to be up, much less sitting in the kitchen with the lights off.

“I - you’re welcome.” He says. He turns a small lamp on, and finds Auguste sitting on one of the chairs, staring at nothing in particular. His hair is a mess, and his eyes are red, and he looks as though he’s been crying. Damen assumes Laurent is sleeping in the bedroom. “Laurent is something else.”

“Yeah, he is.” Auguste agrees hollowly. 

Damen doesn’t say anything, for a bit, and then Auguste speaks.

“Am I a terrible brother?” He asks. “For not noticing anything?”

Damen sits down. “No.”

Auguste finally looks at him. “I didn’t notice. _Anything_. I left Laurent there alone.”

“You didn’t know,” Damen tells him. 

“I should’ve.” Auguste says.

Damen takes a deep breath. “We - I thought you’d left him there. On purpose. Laurent immediately defended you.” Auguste smiles faintly. “He doesn’t blame you.”

“Maybe he should,” Auguste says.

Damen doesn’t know what to respond.

*

An hour later, Damen is woken up by the light of the TV.

“Did I wake you?” Laurent asks. He’s curled up on the couch by Damen’s feet, staring - but not seeing - at the TV. He looks younger, and vulnerable in a way Damen hadn’t seen. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.” Damen tells him. He thinks Laurent and Auguste are alike, more than they know. “Is everything okay?”

Laurent shrugs.

Damen sits up, so they’re sitting shoulder to shoulder, and is quiet for a few moments. 

“Auguste blames himself.” Laurent says.

“Did he tell you?” Damen doesn’t know if Laurent overheard their conversation in the kitchen.

“He didn’t have to.” Laurent says.

And then it’s quiet again. Until Laurent starts shaking.

“Are you-” Damen begins. When he turns to look at Laurent, he realizes he’s crying. He’s shaking with silent sobs, tears running down his face, and Damen doesn’t know what to do, so he hugs him; Laurent tenses, at first, but then he melts into it, and he drags Damen closer, hugs him tighter.

Damen runs his hands through his hair softly, slowly, and rubs small circles with his thumbs into Laurent’s lower back, where his other hand is resting. It takes a long - _long_ \- time until Laurent stops sobbing, but Damen waits it out without saying anything.

When Laurent has been quiet for a while, Damen risks looking down at him, and realizes Laurent has fallen asleep against his chest, face covered with drying tears and snot. Damen reaches over to the coffee table for a few tissues, and cleans Laurent’s face as much as is possible without moving.

He doesn’t know what’ll happen when Laurent wakes up again, but he hopes he’ll be allowed to be a part of it. He doesn’t want to leave Laurent just yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unplanned second chapter requested on my tumblr :D

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://mfingenius.tumblr.com/) :D


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